Dispensing apparatus



Jan. 16, 1940- L. ol GARNER ET AL DISPENS ING APPARATUS Filed May 18, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 wwmw wggg 3 410006 10: a Ga /vale. Ike-0170x7231 Jan. 16, 1940. L. QGARNE ET AL 2,187,233

msisnsme APPARATUS Filed llay 1a, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 J/KE/VIQIOS 10: 0. Gan/vex,

Fla M71571 1940" L. OHGARNER ET AL 87, 33

msrsnsms APPARATUS Filed "W 18, 9 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Ila-unma- 1m: 0.. firm/was Jan, 16, 1940. L. b. GARNER ET AL nlsftnsme APPARATUS F1106, Kay 1a, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 .Z/ww wes .10: 0. GWMA'Q- FI'JO is The inventionjelatesfurther to the means by v the canste'mporariiy opens the apparatus for the submerged iorcooli'ng.

Patented J... is, 1940 PATENT OFFICE I DISPENSING APrAaA'rUs This invention'relates machines'for cooling anddispensing smallpackages such as cans or bottles, as of soft-drinks, beer andithe like, which isdesired to keepdcefcoldtand which are to be .5 dispensed one at'atime.

The invention relates to means by which the fbottlesare storedqin the ma'chine; to means by rgwhich they-may, feed'by gravity from the Staragemspa'c'e into uthe "cooling apparatus; to means -10 by"w hich various portions of the storage space rare-made accessibl- 'for-loading; to means by which -storage may be 'accomplishedin a plural-- I pity of superposedgtiersjand in which each sue-v cessive ,tieri e'iiec'tive to retain-the underlying tier until such superposed tier is entirely empty.

' ,whichth'e cooling mechanism is advanced by step b stepnioti'on to-means by which such advanc ,ing motion accomplishes the election of the botties orcans; rrieans"byiwhichvthc ciection of proper dischargerofthe cans or bottles, and to j means by which ,thecans or bottles, as they are discharged, are so turned that eventual deliv- 5, ery. willbe in alongitudinalydirection and by i sliding insteadof rolling movement.

The objects of the invention are:

; To provide an insulated casing adapted to conthe articles are tain aschilled liquid in which 'I'dprovidefin connection withsuch a casing a storage compartment adapted to-receive and hold 1 the articles in aiplurality of superposed tiers.

Tof'provide in sucha*storage compartment means for separatingandindividually supporting the tiers, which means are displaceableto provide access to underlying chamber portions for filling; and f To provide means in connection with such spacing means for retaining the, tier of articles therebelow until complete discharge from such retaining inearis is accomplished.

Toprovide means for advancing the cooling mechanism step by step to bring thescans or bottles into position for delivery. 4

To provide-means in connection with such Ed's vancing means for eiecting the cans or bottles as theyreach the point of delivery, and for ac- A celerating their ejectment.

can onbottle foro'pening thecasing during the action of ejcctment; and; n

To provide means for alining the ejected bote tles or cans for-longitudinal discharge.

ing mechanism.

To provide means'actuated byejectmen't of a The means by which the foregoing andother oak-ac: ad-M Mental,

n ,Memphis, Tenn. 7

3 3 Application May 18, ms, sums... 208,522

comm, (c1. sis-4c),

objects are accomplished, and the method of their accomplishment will readily be understood from the following specification on reference i to the accompanying drawings, in which. 1 Fig. 1 is a sectional sideelevation of the device with one side of the casing removed. V

Fig. '2 is a plan of a portion of the device with Fig. 4 is'a fragmentary end elevation ofthe theltop open; the plan showing one complete unit.

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation taken on the line casing showing the top swung open for access to the interior as for refilling. I

Fig. '51s a partial end elevation of the opposite end of the casing showing the delivery chutes and pockets and the handle'portion of the actuat- Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional elevation showing the advancing mechanism and the ejection mechanism, the view being taken as on the line'VI--VI of Fig. 7.

Fig. 7 is a corresponding sectional view taken on the line VII--VII of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 8 is.a fragmentary sectiontaken on the lineVIIIVIII of Fig. 6. I

Referring now .to the drawings in which the various parts are indicated by numerals:

III is a casing havingside and'bottom walls and a top I I, preferably hinged along one. side edge asby'hinges IZto provide access to the interior for loading and other purposes. The side; bottom, and top walls have a lining l3 which forms a tank forthe reception of a liquid suchas salt water which may be chilled and in which liquid the bottles or cans are immersed for cooling before they are dispensed. This cooling is efiected by a coil I 4 through which a refrigerant is circulated, as by an usual type oi' refrigerating apparatus l5. l

Preferably the front portion of the casing, serving as a submerged tank, is of considerably greater depth than the rear portion, the bottom wall'of this 'rear portion" l8 being downwardly and forwardly inclined so that cans or other articles placed thereon will roll toward the front and deeper portion of the casing. The casing'may be of a width to accommodate-one or more chilling and delivering units, the present drawings show one such unit complete and a portion of a second unit, but not being intended to limit the number offunits forwhich it may be constructed.

The rear and shallower portion of the casing constitutes a storage 'chamber'from which the articles are continuously fed to thechilling and dispensing apparatus. This storage chamber may be entirely above the liquid level or .may be partially submerged, the partially submerged type being here shown. The storage chamber is pro- 5 vided with a holder for each unit of the apparatus. These holders each comprise side walls 20, and end wall 2| and a bottom 22, the deeper end of the channels being open and the bottom 22 having the same slope as the bottom of the StOI. age chamber.

Hingedly connected to the end wall,2| are shelves 23, 24, 25, the shelves being spaced apart a somewhat greater distance than i the diameter of cans or bottles which are to be stored in the channelway. At the forward or open end of the channelway the shelf 23 is provided with a support which may be a transverse rod 26, and the shelves 24 and 25 are provided with supports 21 and 26 respectively, which supports are lugs projecting from the opposite side walls 26 of the channelway. The lower shelf 23 is provided with oppositely disposed cut-away portions 29 so that it may be swung downward past both the lugs 21 and 28 and against the supporting rod 26. The shelf 24 is provided with a 25 more restricted cut-away portion 36 which will.

pass the lugs28 only, so that it may be swung downward against the lugs 21 and be supported thereby. The upper shelf 25 has no cut-away portions and is supported by the lugs 28. Each- 30 of the shelves has secured to its outer end a thin flexible extension 3|, 32, and 33, respectively, each of these extensions having a downwardly turned lip 34 adapted, when the extension is depressed by the weight of a supporting can or package, as

35 the package 35, to retainingly engage an underlying can or bottle, these packages, as the package 35, being indicated by light dot-dash lines.

Opposite the channelways are submerging de- "vices each comprising a. shaft 40, journalled at its opposite ends in bearings 4|, supported by --shelves of the storage chamberssuitable frame members 42. Mounted on the shaft is a hub 43 and a disc 44 which is secured to the hub as by rivets 45. Spaced from the disc 44 are two discs 46 and 41, the first disc being 45 fairly close to the disc 44 and the other disc spaced from the first disc somewhat less than the length of thepackage to be handled. The two discs 46 and 41 are rigidly supported from the first disc 44 as by bolts 48, spacers 49 and 50 50 preferably being used to properly accomplish the spacing between the discs. The disc 44 is provided with a number of equally spaced lugs 5| and the discs 46 and 41 each with an equal number of arcuate pockets 52, the assembly formed 5 by the three discs forming a drum adapted to receive the bottles or cans in succession from the 53 are retaining rods disposed around and adjacent the lower half of eachofthe two discs 46 and 41, the rods 00 being so bent and positioned as to be concentric.

tending upwardly and somewhat rearwardly from the Junction of these rods and the chute is a division wall 55. The upper end of this wall abuts 70 the underside of the top I of the casing, the wall extending from side wall to sidewall of the casing. The division wall 55 is provided with rectangular apertures 56 each alined with a chute, these apertures being closed by doors 51, secured 75 along their upper edges to the division wall 55 as by hinges 58, and being adapted to open outward under thrust of a bottle or other article being discharged and to reseat and close the aperture by the action of gravity. Extending at a right angle from the division wall 55, and vertically downward therefrom are plates 59, each of these plates having a flanged edge portion 60 through which attachment is made to the division wall 55 as by rivets 6|. For each unit there are a pair of these plates which preferably lie adjacent the two discs 46, 41 respectively. These plates project downward into the path of the pockets 52, and have each an arcuately curved edge 62 which edges act as guides to dislodge the articles 35 in succession as they are moved into guide engagement by turning movement of the drum, one oi these articles 35A being shown in Figs. 1 and 6 as it tangentially contacts the guide surfaces.

63 are a pair of rods which are secured to and depend from a horizontally disposed pivot rod 64,

also into the path of the articles 35, the lower end of these rods lying substantially flush with the lower ends of the guide surfaces 62. The pivot rod 64 is pivotally mounted in the two plates 59, one end 65 of this rod being bent at right angles and extending vertically upward into the path of a pin 66 carried by a plunger arm 61. The plunger arm 61 passes through the plate 55 and is connected by a pin 68 with an operating plunger 69 which extends through the front of the casing l0 and carries on its outer end, a button 10 which is manually operable. The arm 69 is unlocked or otherwise controlled for movement by a coin actuated mechanism 1| of an usual and well known type such as that described in Patent No. 2,025,921, January 7, 1936.

Theinner end of the plunger arm 61 rests on the periphery of the disc 44 and is adapted to slide along the periphery of the disc into engagement with the lugs 5| of the disc in succession, and after such engagement, advance the disc a full lug space.

12 is a cam attached to the plunger arm 61 by a pin 13. 14, is a stop limiting backward movement of this cam, the cam being held thereagainst by a spring 15. 16 is a detent arm having one end connected as by a bracket and pin 11 to the division wall 55 and having its opposite end downwardly turned to form a detent 18 adapted to ride on the disc 44 and successively .engage the lugs 5| to limit movement of this disc; The detent 18, as shown in Fig. 8, may be notched to fit over the disc 44 and prevent lateral displacement. 19 is a cam member secured to the arm 16, this cam member being engageable by the cam 12 as the arm 61 slides forward along the disc 44 into engagement with the lug 5| to raise the detent 18 fromengagement with the disc and lugs and permit advancement oi.the disc by the arm 61.

The chutes 54, as seen in plan in Fig. 2, have side walls 54--A, 54-B which converge toward the discharge end 54-C of the chute. The side walls are spaced apart adjacent the door 51 a sufficient distance to receive therebetween a package discharge through the door opening and lying transversely across the chute. Immediately adjacent this door opening is a lug which is secured to and projects inward from the side wall 54-A, and is adapted to engage an end of the package and retard movement of such end, the opposite end of the package continuing its discharge movement and the package swinging into position for longitudinal movement through the charge end EL-C.

are carried by an insulated block 88.

BI is a dog having one end riding on the disc 44 and adapted to engage the lugs 5| successively against retrogressive movement. The opposite end of the dog is hingedly secured by a pin 82, to a bracket 83, suitably secured to the division wall 55. 84 isa spring urging the dog 8| into disc and lug engagement.

B5 are signal lights on the front of the casing, there being one such light for each unit, and these lights each indicating when they are burning that the unitis empty. Associated with each unit is a switch, shown in Fig. 7, whichis held open by the packages and which closes when the unit is empty. In this switch 86 is a light circuit leading to a pair of contacts 81 which 88 is a circuit leading from these contacts to the signal light. 90 is an insulated contact bar carried by an arm 91 which is pivotally mounted on the division wall 55 as by a pivot pin 82. The opposite end 93.0f the arm 9i contacts the ends of the packages being dispensed and holds the contact bar 90 away from the contacts .81. 88 is a spring urgingthe contact bar 88 against the contacts to close the circuit.

In use the top ii is opened. The shelves 21, 24 and 25 of a holder are turned back about their hinges and a tier of the bottles or cans laid alon the bottom 22 of the holder, one of these articles ordinarily rolling into a pocket of the drum. The shelf 23 is then turned about its hinge until it rests on the transverse rod 26 and is covered with an additional tier of the packages, one of these ordinarily also going into a pocket of the drum, and the two outer packages on the shelf, being those adjacent the drum, deflecting the flexible extension 3| into holding engagement with the outer package of the bottom tier of the holder. The other shelves are then successively turned down and filled, after which the drum is turned, the packages rolling off of the top shelf 25 across the flexible extension 33 and into the pockets of the drum until all the pockets therein are fllled.. Should the supply of packages on the top shelf be exhausted before this filling is completed, the flexible extension 33 will swing upward as the last package therefrom goes into the drum pockets, and release the underlying article adjacent the drum and on the next lower shelf, so that these packages in turn will also go into the drum. When the drum has been entirely filled the shelves are refilled for storage purposes and this particular unit of the device is ready for use. Each of the remaining holders is then similarly filled, and these units also made ready.

If it has not already been done the casing is filled with liquid up to the level of the bottom of the door opening 58, the liquid used preferably being a mixture of water and salt which will permit chilling without freezing of the chilling liquid. The refrigerating outfit Ii may then be started and the.temperature of the liquid in the tank be reduced to the desired point.

When the packages are thoroughly chilled, vending may be begun. This is accomplished by dropping a nickel or other suitable coin in the coin slot of the mechanism H to unlock or operatively couple the plunger 88 for use.

of the plunger shifting the drum. As this shifting movement progresses, the cam 12 passes the cam member I! and allows the detent arm 18 to drop back on the disc N with detent I8 in position to limit and stop the disc movement. During movement of the drum a package, as the package 35-A of Figs. 1 and comes against' the guides 62 and is deflected out of the pocket in which it is seatedand against the door 51. Concurrently the pin 68 engages the upturned end 65 of rod 64, causing the rod ends 63 secured to and depending below rod 84, to forcibly eject the article 35--A through the door opening 58, displacing the swinging door 51 in so doing. A package so ejected starts to roll down the chute 54 but one end is almost immediately engaged by the lug 80, whereas the opposite end continues its downward movement and the package is longitudinally alined with the chute and completes itsmovement toward the lower end of the chute by sliding motion. After ejectment of the bottle the door 51 swings back into place closing the interior of the casing against the outside air. Retraction oi the plunger completes the operation, in such action the cam 12 tripping against the cam member 18 without raising the detent arm 18 or disengaging the detent I8.

Subsequent actions or repetitions may be per- 8 formed until all the bottles have been discharged, at which time the contact bar 90 is swung by the spring 94 against the contacts 81 and the circuit completed to the light giving visual warning of the exhaustion of the supply and of the necessity of replenishing the stock.

We claim:

1. In a dispensing device, a casing, a drum mounted therein and rotatable about a horizontal axis, said drum having around'its periphery a plurality of equally spaced pockets, means cooperating with said drum for confining packages to said pockets, a division wall within said casing forming a substantially tangential extension of said confining means, said division wall having an opening therethrough for discharge of packages from said pockets, a closure door for said opening hinged along the upper edge of said opening, a discharge chute leading from said opening through a wall of said casing and terminating therewithout, guide means carried. by said division wall and extending into the path of movement of said pockets, said guide means curving arcuately upward and outward to the upper edge of said division wall opening, means for advancing said drum, and means cooperating with said drum advancing means for accelerating the ejection movement through said opening of packages deflected from said pockets by said guide means. l

2. In a dispensing device, a casing, a drum mounted therein and rotatable about a horizontal axis, said drum having around its periphery a plurality of equally spaced pockets, means cooperating with said drum for conflning packages to said pockets, a division wall within said casing forming a substantially tangential wall having an opening therethrough m dis-,-

charge ofpackages from said pockets, a closure door for said opening hinged along the upper edges of said opening, a discharge chute'leading from said opening through a wall of said casing.

and terminating therewithout, guide means carried by said division wall and extending into the path of movement of. said pockets, said guide 'means being curved arcuately upward and outward to the upper edge or said division wail opening, means for advancing-said drum','means-ior limiting the advancemovement to a single'pocket space, and means cooperating with said'drum *advancing means for accelerating the ejection movement through said opening of packages defiected from said pockets by said guide means. Y 3 In a dispensing device, a casing, a drum mounted therein and rotatable'about a horizontal Y 'th'erethioi'igh for discharge of packa es from said 1 pockets,=a closuredoor for'said opening'i'hin ed along the upper edge of. said openingha dis.-.

said-drum m confining packages to said pockets,

charger chute leading from said op'eningthrough f a; wall oi' said'casing and terminating therewith, out, guid'e means carried-by, said 'divisio'nwall 1 andextending mto the path of-movenient of said 1 -.p ockets,1said guide means being curved-arcuately upward and outward to the upperedge of said drum .axis, said drum having around its periphery a plurality of pockets; 'me'ansj; cooperating 'rwith a division walLWithirijsaid casing forming sub stan tially-an extension: of said; confining means; said" division wall ha vingf an' opening there- Q v H 3 zontally dis'posedj'rod having opposite-end- D01:

'3 through for disohai'ge of packages from said pockets, ,a closurj doonsfor said opening hinged, "alongtheupper edgeoisaidopening, a discharge I I chute-leading from saidopen'ingthrough awallr, 1 or said casing an'd "terminating" therewithout,

guide means carried-by s'aid division wall and extending into the path or'mjove em of 'saidjpockets', said guide means being adapted to divert packages from said-pockets and discharge. them through said (wall opening, andfmeans tor ad 'vancing saiddrumn tal said drum having around its periphery a plurality of equally spaced pockets, means cooperating with said drum for confining packages to said pockets, a division wall within said casing, "said wall having an opening therethrough for discharge of packages from said pockets, and a' closure door-for said opening, said door-being hinged along the upper edge of said openingto permit said discharge, means for diverting packa'gessuccessively from said pockets through s aid wallopening, and means actuated by said idrum advancing means for acceleratingthrough said opening, the ejection' movement of packages: deiiectedfrom said pockets by said diverting means. 6. Ina dispensing device, a casing,l-a drum mounted therein and rotatable about B. horizon; ital axis, said drum having around its periphery a plurality of pockets, means cooperating with said drum for confining packages to said pockets, a division wall within said casing'forr'ning an extension of said confining means, said "division" wall having an opening therethrough' for dis r charge of packages from sa'id pockets, a closure :wall opening, and beingra'dapted toeject articles, "therethrough an'd' means-for advancing said,

door for said opening hinged along the upper edge pockets, said members -each-havingan edgepor at the upper edg ,0! said wall opening, .a horiintegrally secured fingers depending from said arcuately curved surface-of said members, said rod having one end upwardly turned and extending-i'nto operative. engagement with said drum advancing means. I

' una-GARNER, MONTESI.

,tion curving upwardlyandoutwairdly from its 1 lower end to engagement with said division wall tions journalled in said members; and a pair or p 

